“The current landmark court case in Canada again reinforces the fact that laws legalising euthanasia cannot provide safeguards that work,” says Dr Peter Thirkell, Care Alliance Secretary. Roger Foley has cerebellar ataxia, a terminal and incurable severe brain disorder that limits movement and leaves him unable to perform basic tasks independently. He wants to be Read more
Listen to the voices of children and young people. This is the challenge issued by the Commissioner for Children and the Schools Trustees Association. “I am a library, quiet but filled with knowledge – it’s dumb [that I’m not asked]”, was just one of the comments made in a survey of young people asking them about Read more
“Is the church called to be the first cousin to a museum or is it the place for the worship of a living God? “To reinstate a very damaged building, so people can say ‘we like the outside of it’, seems to me somewhat misdirected. “I wonder what an empty cathedral would be an icon Read more
Christchurch is to be the venue for the fourth national assembly of diocesan priests later this year. These assemblies, an initiative of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, happen every five years. The three previous national assemblies were in Blenheim (twice) and in Rotorua. Continue reading
Justice Minister Andrew Little introduced legislation on Monday to repeal the decades-old law. Blasphemous libel is listed in the Crimes Act and comes with a punishment of up to a year in prison but has not been prosecuted since 1922 – and even then was unsuccessful Continue reading
Australian movie director Garth Davis is looking forward to visiting New Zealand over the next few days to promote his new movie, Mary Magdalene. He says he has a deep affection for New Zealand. “I’ve got the time to enjoy the process of releasing this movie, so I’m going to enjoy being able to talk Read more
Anglican and Catholic bishops met at the Home of Compassion in Island Bay last week. The meeting was part of their ongoing commitment to dialogue between the two Churches. They have previously met on numerous occasions and worked together on issues including homelessness, poverty, trafficking and the environment. The bishops shared a meal and gathered Read more
Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, is going to attend a meeting of Oceania bishops. He will be at the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania(FCBCO) Plenary Assembly in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in April. “We are delighted that Cardinal Parolin, the Secretary of State at the Vatican, will be with us,” Read more
The dates for the Ordination of the new Dunedin Bishop, Michael Dooley, have been confirmed. Bishop-elect Michael will be Ordained on Thursday, 26 April 2018 at 6pm in the Dunedin Town Hall. The Installation Mass will be at 9:30am in St Joseph’s Cathedral on Friday, 27 Supplied
An increasing number of businesses and government organisations are now getting certified for cultural capability through the CQ Tick. The CQ Tick is a measure of an organisation’s cultural capability as a critical competency for 21st Century leaders – and for their organisations to win diverse customers and to retain diverse staff – is the Read more